Senior Equipment Maintenance Technician

OSI Engineering, Inc.; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

OSI Engineering, Inc. in Menlo Park, CA seeks a Senior Equipment Maintenance Technician to build and maintain critical lab infrastructure enabling autonomous high-throughput materials discovery.

You will perform preventative maintenance, troubleshoot complex equipment, and support lab utilities, vacuum and gas systems, and automation. This hands-on role requires ownership of operations in a fast-paced research environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in lab operations or technical maintenance.
• Ability to read P&IDs, mechanical drawings, and electrical diagrams.
• Strong problem solving and hands-on troubleshooting skills.
• Experience with vacuum and gas systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Perform preventative maintenance and repairs on laboratory equipment and vacuum systems.
• Develop maintenance procedures and checklists; identify recurring failures and implement corrective actions to improve uptime.
• Service vacuum pumps, chillers, and cooling water systems.
• Support installation and modification of laboratory utilities.
• Read and interpret P&IDs, mechanical drawings, electrical wiring diagrams, and equipment manuals.
• Coordinate maintenance activities with equipment vendors and CMMS MaintainX.
• Assist installation and commissioning of new equipment and utility hookups.
• Maintain a clean, safe laboratory environment following PPE and safety procedures.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify equipment issues and improve reliability.

Skills

Lab operations

Troubleshooting

Mechanical aptitude

Hand tools

Electrical & instrumentation

Education

Technical degree or equivalent

Military technical training

Trade apprenticeship

Tools

MaintainX CMMS

P&ID interpretation

Shop fabrication tools

Job description

We're searching for a Senior Equipment Maintenance Technician. In this role, you'll help support and scale a cutting-edge research laboratory focused on autonomous, high-throughput materials discovery by building and maintaining critical equipment and infrastructure that enables scientists and engineers to move quickly. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys hands-on technical work, solving practical problems, troubleshooting complex equipment, and taking ownership of laboratory operations. Responsibilities include equipment maintenance, vacuum and gas systems, laboratory utilities, instrumentation, automation support, machine shop operations, inventory management, and laboratory buildout projects in a dynamic, state-of-the-art research environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform preventative maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs down to the component level on laboratory equipment, vacuum systems, and other precision laboratory infrastructure.
• Develop maintenance procedures, inspection checklists, and work order templates; identify recurring failures and implement corrective actions to improve uptime.
• Service vacuum pumps, chillers, and cooling water systems, and verify equipment meets OEM specifications after repairs.
• Support the installation, maintenance, and modification of laboratory utilities, including compressed gases, process cooling water, exhaust, gas detection, gas lines, tubing, gauges, valves, and fluid handling systems.
• Read and interpret P&IDs, mechanical drawings, electrical wiring diagrams, and technical documentation to complete maintenance and infrastructure projects.
• Coordinate maintenance activities with equipment vendors and field service engineers while documenting work and maintaining asset records in MaintainX CMMS.
• Support installation and commissioning of new equipment, including utility hookups (power, water, gas, vacuum, networking) and as-built documentation.
• Support Controls and Automation Engineers by installing thermocouples, RTDs, pressure transducers, flow meters, solenoid valves, and safety interlocks, and by routing and terminating instrumentation wiring.
• Maintain laboratory equipment, inventory, consumables, and supporting infrastructure to ensure efficient day-to-day operations.
• Receive and register chemicals and gas cylinders, coordinate gas deliveries, and support hazardous waste disposal.
• Safely operate shop tools and equipment, including a manual mill and lathe, to fabricate or modify fixtures and support laboratory buildout projects.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe laboratory environment while following all applicable safety procedures, including LOTO and required PPE.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify equipment issues, improve reliability, and support ongoing laboratory expansion.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in laboratory operations, equipment maintenance, semiconductor, manufacturing, chemical processing, pilot plant, industrial maintenance, biotechnology, or a similar technical environment.
• Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, mechanical drawings, electrical wiring diagrams, and equipment manuals.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and hands-on experience with hand tools, power tools, and mechanical assembly, plus excellent troubleshooting skills.
• Experience coordinating equipment maintenance, repairs, and preventative maintenance activities.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize competing tasks, and thrive in a fast-paced startup environment with minimal direction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfortable using shop tools and fabrication equipment such as band saws, chop saws, grinders, manual mills, lathes, and similar tools.
• Comfortable wearing required PPE, including lab coats, gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, and respirators.
• Technical degree, military technical training, trade apprenticeship, or equivalent hands-on experience.

Bonus Qualifications

• Hands-on experience maintaining and troubleshooting vacuum and/or compressed gas systems.
• Swagelok tubing, fittings, tube bending, and gas manifold assembly experience working from P&IDs.
• Semiconductor maintenance experience with thin film, PVD, or ALD high-vacuum equipment and associated metrology tools.
• Electrical troubleshooting to the PCB/component level using multimeters and diagnostic tools.
• Process piping and instrumentation installation or modification experience.
• Experience using a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), such as MaintainX.
• Experience coordinating with equipment vendors and field service engineers.
• Experience handling hazardous chemicals in a laboratory environment.
• Forklift certification or experience operating material handling equipment.
• Experience with semiconductor, battery, advanced manufacturing, or other high-tech laboratory environments.